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Cults to Consciousness
Stories of claiming independence after leaving high-control groups.
Hi! I’m Shelise Ann Sola— former devout Mormon. On C2C, my husband Jonathan and I dive deep into the nuance of culty organizations. From Extreme Christian Fundamentalism, FLDS Polygamy, Amish, Mennonite, Mormonism, Scientology, Ultra Orthodox, and Jehovah's Witnesses, to cults featured in popular docu-series, we interview cult experts, survivors, advocates, therapists, way-showers, authors, and more, to uncover how they find independence and healing through awareness and true individual sovereignty.
New videos weekly!
If you'd like to support the channel, consider becoming a patron!
https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness
If you’d like to apply to be a guest on the channel, please fill out the below form. We don’t accept nominations. If you have guest suggestions you can reach out on IG @cultstoconsciousness or for a faster response, reach out on patreon.
https://form.jotform.com/231406165595054
Episodes
147 episodes
Ex-Muslim Opens Up About Sex and Islam in Saudi Arabia | The Story of Apostate Aladdin
*Content Warning: self harm, physical abuse* Anonymous YouTuber Apostate Aladdin shares his story of becoming a man in an environment that used fear to keep boys and girls and men and women separated. This intense fear that men need to be...
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Season 2
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Episode 146
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1:15:22
14 Yr Old Taken From U.S. to Iraq to Be Bride to Abusive Man
*Content Warning: Many mentions of physical abuse & sexual abuse* Tricked into moving to Iraq at age 14, Ellaf was separated from her mother and forced into a chiId marriage by her father who felt she was too much of a burden to...
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Season 2
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Episode 147
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1:12:12
Forced to Marry Al Qaeda: Confessions of an “Ex-Muslim” ft. Yasmine Mohammed
*Content Warning: Domestic Violence, SA, CA* Determined to fight for the human rights of the oppressed, Yasmine Mohammed speaks out and shares her experiences with Islam extremism. Her mother forced her to marry a terrorist and it wasn’t ...
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Season 2
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Episode 145
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1:50:42
How “A WELL TRAINED WIFE” Narrowly Escaped Extreme Christian Patriarchy with 4 Kids
**Content Warning: DV, rape, SA** Tia Levings discusses her dark reality in Christian fundamentalism, with evangelical patriarchy and religious trauma. Having appeared in the Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People, and written a harrowing...
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Season 2
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Episode 144
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1:20:03
Is the Military A Cult? Ex-Cult Members / Active Military & Veteran Discuss
Daniella grew up in the Children of God and Mike in Scientology. Together they discuss ways that the military, of which they were both in for many years, is cultic and their differing perspectives. Click here to watch on YouTube
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Season 2
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Episode 143
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1:25:51
Groomed to be the Submissive Wife of Her Father’s Choosing
Cait West was completely under her father’s rule down to all her decisions. She was told he would even make the biggest decision of her life for her— who she was going to marry. She was gr**med to be a submissive wife under the patriarchy movem...
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Season 1
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Episode 142
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1:06:15
Forced Into Submission: Trapped in the Stay-at-Home Daughter’s Movement
Isolated in a cult within a cult within a cult, Ashley was completely sheltered from the outside world. From infancy she was labeled as unruly and even demon-possessed. Determined to break her as a toddler, then later brag about it, her pastor ...
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Season 2
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Episode 141
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1:20:01
Scientology Forced 12 yr Old to Audit Adults & Rehabilitate Pedophile
Scientology doesn’t believe in the young. They teach that they are trillion year old beings in small bodies. Therefore, they are not treated developmentally correct. Neglected, exploited for work and severely mistreated, they suffer the most in...
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Season 2
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Episode 140
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1:21:07
The Bad Cadet: Growing Up in the Church of Scientology's Sea Organization
At age six, Katherine Spallino is separated from her parents and sent to train for her future in the Church of Scientology’s clergy—the Sea Organization. She rarely sees her parents and never goes to a normal school. Later, Katherine is sent to...
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Season 2
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Episode 139
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1:21:31
How Scientology Almost Killed His Elderly Mother
Raised by Scientology and forced into the Sea Org and labor intensive youth camps, Mike Brown didn’t have a choice but to be indoctrinated and used by the organization. After he managed to escape, leaving behind his mother and wife, years later...
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Season 2
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Episode 138
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1:29:22
Sentenced to Torturous Christian Extremist Boarding School for 365 days
The troubled teen industry has been in the limelight lately for its more than questionable tactics to “reform” kids. Add in a heavy dose of religious extremism and you have the sometimes fatal Independent Fundamental Baptist all-girl’s school A...
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Season 2
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Episode 137
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1:13:24
Let Us Prey: Exposing the Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch & the Troubled Teen Industry
Disguised as a wholesome Christian school for troubled youth, was a house of horrors for those unlucky enough to be placed there. Diabolical and dangerous punishm*nts, intense physical labor left these girls scarred in more ways than one. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 136
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1:06:24
The Erasure of Gays in the AMISH & Mennonite Settlements
Joined for a second time by Mary (former Amish) and Hannah (former Holdeman Mennonite), we discuss the ways in which being gay/bi in their settlements harshly affected them and how queer plain people are generally erased from society. Bringing ...
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Season 2
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Episode 135
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59:23
Forced into AMISH Settlement, Narrowly Escaped Bishop Abuser
*Content Warning : SA, CA, CSA, mentions of rape* After enduring an excruciating youth at the hands of her mother and step father, isolated on a mountainside, Misty was forced into an Amish settlement at 18 years old. Though in many ways this n...
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Season 2
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Episode 134
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1:26:26
AMISH: How Growing Up in the Strictest Settlement Led to Drugs and Sex Work
*Content Warning: sexual assault, rape, prostitution, attempted murder* Due to lack of education when she left the strict Swartzentruber settlement, Naomi slipped into exotic dancing, prostitution, drugs, and almost getting murdered. In t...
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Season 2
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Episode 133
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1:20:08
They tried to claim my sexuality, I fought back
*Content Warning: eating disorders, mentions of homophobia* In this follow up episode we’re going to continue with Oceana’s story growing up under the strict Institute in Basic Life Principles run by Bill Gothard who was recently exposed for pr...
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Season 2
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Episode 132
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51:06
Surviving IBLP Training Center at 15 Years Old & 90 lbs
*Content Warning: eating disorders, self harm* Further shedding light on the Institute in Basic Life Principles run by Bill Gothard who was recently exposed for preying on young girls, is Oceana who grew up living by their rules. Extreme patria...
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Season 2
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Episode 131
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1:03:14
“Let Us Prey” | Survivors Seek Justice Against IFB Youth Pastors
The Independent Fundamental Baptist church is known for having extreme views on “worldly” things. Women are over-sexualized to the point where even the very young are blamed and punished for “temping” men into hurting them. Kathy was one of tho...
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Season 2
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Episode 130
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1:32:20
My IFB Youth Pastor Groomed Me. I Was Blamed.
*Content Warning: child sex abuse, child abuse, rape, mentions of attempted suicide* When purity culture is front and center in a strict religious organization, youth are blamed for being preyed on by adults. It creates an unsafe environment fo...
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Season 2
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Episode 129
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1:24:21
A Sinister Look into the Controlling IFB Church ft. Preacher Boys Podcast
The cult doc “Let Us Prey” on HBO, highlights the issues within the high control religious group Independent Fundamental Baptist, of which Eric was a part of. From the covering up of predatory behavior of the leaders, to extreme patriarchal con...
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Season 2
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Episode 128
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1:24:32
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Prosecuting Yoga “Guru” BIKRAM for Sexual Assault & Blacklisting
*Content Warning: rape and sexual assault* Yoga instructor Larissa Anderson took yoga “guru” Bikram Choudhury to court for s*xual assault and blacklisting her yoga business after Larissa rejected a s*xual advance by Bikram (who had r*ped her be...
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Season 2
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Episode 127
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47:10
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Falling Prey to BIKRAM: Yoga Guru, Founder, Predator
“Guru” Bikram was responsible for bringing hot yoga to the states and popularizing it. Without realizing, Larissa Anderson was slowly groomed by her then boyfriend and yoga studio owner to seamlessly fall right into Bikram’s hands. He would eve...
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Season 2
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Episode 126
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54:49
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How Narcissistic Yoga Guru Jagat Exploited Her Followers
First, there was Guru Bhajan. A self proclaimed master of what he called Kundalini Yoga. Later known as an ab*ser on every level, he died and left a gaping hole in the Western market for the next “master” to step in as a celebrity Guru. Enter...
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Season 2
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Episode 125
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1:02:17
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Mormons Vs Ex Mormons: Who REALLY Won This Cringey Debate? ft. Mormon Stories
Is Mormonism a cult? Jubilee’s “Middleground” had on a panel of current believing Mormons and ex-Mormons to debate this and other nuanced topics. Join us, along with one of the ex-Mormon panelists, Dr. John Dehlin of
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Season 2
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Episode 124
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1:11:58
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I Married a Yoga Guru Con Man
Harvard graduate Joelle Tamraz, was young, enthusiastic and a perfect target for a fake yoga guru. Seeking enlightenment, purpose and peace, she came across a man who swept her off her feet and used spiritual manipulation to eventually exploit ...
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Season 2
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Episode 123
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1:38:25
